U.S. President Donald Trump said a Korean cargo ship was attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz after operating on its own, apart from a protected group of vessels.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump said at a White House event on May 5 local time that South Korea gets 43% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that a Korean ship was attacked because it was not in a convoy.
“They weren’t in the line of ships and they decided to go alone,” he said. “And their ship got smashed yesterday.” Trump also claimed that ships protected by the United States were not attacked.
South Korea’s government has said the cause of the explosion and fire on the vessel Namuho has not yet been determined. Trump, however, has described the incident since the previous day as an Iranian attack and has urged South Korea to contribute to easing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a phone interview the same day with an ABC reporter, Trump repeated that it was a Korean ship “sailing alone,” and said multiple shots were fired at it, adding that South Korea should take action in response.
The United States on May 4 launched what it called a “Liberation Project” to help commercial ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz escape. That day, the U.S. military said Iran used missiles and fast boats to attack commercial vessels and that U.S. forces repelled the attacks, heightening fears the ceasefire could collapse. Iran resumed attacks against targets including the United Arab Emirates, the report said.
Asked what would constitute an Iranian violation of the ceasefire, Trump said, “We’ll know soon,” adding, “They know what they have to do, and more importantly, what they must not do.”
Trump urged Iran to “make a smart choice,” saying, “Because we don’t want to go in and kill people,” and insisted Iran should “wave the white flag of surrender.” He also said Iran had no chance of winning the war, referring to the conflict as a “little skirmish.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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